Yarrawonga premiership forward Dylan Conway has departed JC Lowe Oval after a brief stint of just seven matches.
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Conway joined the Pigeons before the clearance deadline this year and arrived in the O&M with a big reputation after previously playing in flags for Williamstown (2015) and Port Melbourne (2017).
Yarrawonga football manager Leigh Ramsdale, who is in the process of vacating his position, confirmed Conway wouldn't be returning to JC Lowe Oval next year.
"We were fortunate to get Dylan mid-season after he wanted to experience playing in the country which he hadn't done previously and play alongside his Williamstown mates," Ramsdale said.
"He was obviously lucky enough to end up playing in a flag.
"Dylan has got a young family with another child on the way and was travelling from Melbourne which is a big commitment.
"Dylan said he loved his time at the club but wouldn't be able to commit to playing again."
Conway spent more than 12-months away from football after his previous match before joining the Pigeons was in round six with Melton South in the Ballarat Football League in 2022.
He made his debut for Yarrawonga in round 12 against Wangaratta.
"Dylan had a big impact early in that grand final with two goals and if he doesn't play, we arguably don't win... so it was a win-win for both parties," Ramsdale said.
"Kicking two goals in that first-quarter when it was such a narrow margin was huge.
"He may not have kicked a goal after that but he was still able to influence the match, just with his presence in the forward 50 and creating space for Williams (Leigh).
"He helps separate the defence instead of having three blokes climbing all over Willo (Williams) in contested situations.
"It's not always measured on the scoreboard what impact a forward can have."
Conway, 31, runs his own personal training business and tackled a near 1000-km ultra marathon from Sydney to Melbourne in May, to raise funds and awareness for his Holla Foundation.
Ramsdale said it would have been interesting to see what impact Conway could have had in the O&M with a full pre-season and not having to travel.
"Dylan is obviously a quality player," he said.
"His work commitments probably didn't allow him to train as much as he would have liked.
"Dylan is a personal trainer so he is fit but not just specific for football I guess.
"If he was living in Yarrawonga and training two or three sessions a week, I'm sure you would have seen the best of him.
"But clearly his family and business were his priority.
"He also did a 1000-km ultra marathon from Sydney to Melbourne for charity a couple of weeks before he played his first match for us.
"So he was fairly banged up from that but we had to make sure he played a few matches so he could qualify for finals.
"So to do what he did considering his preparation was a huge effort in the end."
Ramsdale was unsure if Conway would play elsewhere.
"I doubt it, he wasn't playing anywhere before he joined us," he said.
"I guess you couldn't rule it out but I don't think football is a priority for Dylan any more."
